Interview with Sugar Tits, Queens of Confectionery

Interview with Sugar Tits, Queens of Confectionery

Known as Queens of Confectionery, Sugar Tits sweet treats are hard to miss. Not just because of their eye catching candy colours and memorable name but you’ve also probably seen them on Instagram where they have a hugely popular account.

We love their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit and the way their treats are taking over parties and events across London. They make the most delicious bites and are responsible for feeding the fashion crowd as well as creating bespoke bakes for brands. We caught up with co-founder Verity to find out more.

How did you & Georgia meet and what was the inspiration behind setting up your business?

We both originally trained as actresses and met whilst in a play nearly 8 years ago. We both had pretty depressing second jobs and we wanted to find something that could pay us and we enjoyed as much as acting. One of the main things we bonded over apart from our mutual love of Dolly Parton was how greedy we both were so doing something involving food seemed the obvious choice.

With your name you certainly stand out from the crowd with some serious sass! What was the decision behind the name?

We were initially called something completely different and very boring – Unhampered. The original concept was that we would make bespoke hampers with typically British treats and very traditional branding. There was a lot of loaf cakes and jams and chutneys. They tasted delicious but we were really bored and uninspired. About a year ago we gave the business a complete over haul and decided to concentrate on the super fun sassy stuff and it became obvious we needed a name that reflected the new direction. We wanted something young, fun and obviously female and ideally as memorable as possible. It was always going to have a mixed reception but on the whole people love it – apart from Companies House who rejected it for being too rude and maybe Georgia’s Mum….

You’ve got a stunning Instagram account. How important is social media to your business?

Social media has been invaluable to us. Not only do we use it for inspiration but it was our only sales and advertising platform for a long time. For the first 2 years of our business we didn’t have a website and we relied solely on Instagram as the means by which brands discovered and contacted us. It’s a great tool for networking as well as it’s so important to build relationships with other brands and individuals who have a similar ethos or style as you can all help each other generate more work. All of our best work is featured on there as well so it’s still where we direct new clients towards to get inspo for their own event.

You’re known for your stylish bakes. Where do you get your inspiration from?

We have both always had a big interest in fashion and been quite bold in our own style choices so this is definitely reflected in the food we make. Nothing we do is ever subtle that’s for sure. Although we can be chic and sophisticated and sometimes we make really understated, beautiful treats but it’s the really kitsch’s ones that get the most attention. Fashion is going through a very maximalist period, especially with the 90s revival and our primary customers are fashion and beauty brands so we tend to take inspiration from the current trends. We like to try and stay ahead of the game though as certain crazes like the mermaids and unicorns are becoming over done and we want to stay fresh and exciting.

How do you keep on top of all the latest culinary crazes?

Instagram is the best tool for keeping up to date with all the latest crazes no matter what you are into. There are so many amazing confectionary and cake accounts and sometimes we are literally overwhelmed with how much talent there is out there. Luckily for us most of these bakers and confectionery artists are based in Australia or the US so the competition isn’t too fierce in the UK! We like to be honest though so if we’ve taken inspiration from someone else’s idea we will always credit them. You can’t be too precious though, if you’re going to share your creations on a public platform then you need to accept they will be imitated; we see a lot of our stuff being copied and it can be annoying but it’s also flattering.

We love your maximalist approach to your bakes and we can’t imagine how much edible glitter you must get through. What are your favourite ingredients and colours to work with?

We get through a lot of pink food colouring… sprinkles are also essential for jazzing up all our treats. Annoyingly all the best baking equipment and supplies are from the U.S so we have to import a lot of our stuff as the colours in the UK just aren’t as vibrant and there doesn’t seem to be such a big market for all the really cool cookie cutter shapes etc. We also get through a scary amount of white chocolate. It’s the staple for most of our creations as it can be easily coloured but we are both sick of the sight and taste of it now!

You’ve created some amazing designs for brands. Can you tell us a bit about that side of your business?

At the moment most of what we do is bespoke. Brands tend to come to us to create something eye catching that will create buzz around and compliment their own product and ideally get a lot of social media attention. Sometimes our clients have very firm ideas about what they want and others are happy to go with whatever we suggest. As long as they’ve got a general theme and colour scheme we can usually come up with something to suit the occasion and quite a lot of the time we even surprise ourselves with our ingenuity. It’s great when a bespoke job leads to something that gets such a good reaction we add it to our repertoire. Like the donut wall which is now one of the staple things we offer. There can be very awkward clients though who have some very outlandish ideas and we have to explain to them that some things are simply not possible or too disgusting when it comes to food. Although one of our clients famously told us they didn’t care what it tasted like as long it looked good.

What’s the most unusual design you’ve made?

The most difficult design we’ve ever done and the one we were most nervous about was the giant donut wall we did for the Pinterest food awards last year. We accepted the job having never done a donut wall let alone in the shape of the company’s logo and immediately freaked out when we realised how much precision would be involved to pull it off. In the end and with a lot of logistical guidance from Georgia’s Dad we manged it and it looked great. The concept has been copied a lot since by other brands so that’s definitely a good sign.

Your slogan cookies are great. How important is the idea of female empowerment in your brand?

Our brand is pretty much all about the power of the Girl Gang and celebrating how great and bad ass girls are especially when they join forces with each other. We like to think our products are the kind of thing you send to your BFF when she’s upset, share with your office besties or bring to a really off beat baby shower.

Can you give us some ideas on how your bakes can be used for events?

We have basic products that we use as the base but the colours, theme and branding can all be tailored to the individual or companies specification. We do a lot of send out for companies as well, especially when they are launching a new product and want something extra to accompany it that will attract attention and get social media buzzing. The options are endless really but it often comes down to budget and how the treats are being delivered. A lot of our creations are too delicate for the post and courier bikes can also cause a lot of damage in transit so we have to be realistic with what we can be made and successfully delivered in one piece. If you’ve got the budget though and your event is in London then the sky’s the limit really.

What are you looking forward to in 2018?

In 2018 we have lots of exciting plans in the pipeline to go into retail and take it from a predominantly catering business for events to a recognised brand available in shops so everyone can get a piece of the action.

At Evolve we regularly share news about latest venues, styles and events on our blog and social media. You can visit our blog here and follow us at @evolveevents.

DISCOVER MORE PEOPLE THAT EVOLVE LOVES TO WORK WITH

Cakes By Krishanthi create edible works of art with individuality that are truly delicious and distinctive. We recently worked with Cakes By Krishanthi at wedding venue Kent House Knightsbridge where she created the most